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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · patient · kid · row · shower · stick · bowl · temple

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a committee
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kid — to tease
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com